Friendo #1 (Vault): I&N Demand “What business is it of yours” why I’m interested in this book, Friendo? Playin’, B. Yet another fun idea from Vault Comics! I’ve got my good eye on the artist, Martin Simmonds. (He happens to be working with main-man Monty Nero on Death Sentence: Liberty, which I’ve happily backed on Kickstarter–and which should be out soon! Yay! Until then-o, of course, I’ll try-o Friendo.) Let’s see what kind of magic he’s got goin’ on with Alex Paknadel, who, for me, is an unknown quantity. But the prospect of a VR BFF goin’ all 5150’s got me giggling back a few decades to the glorious sigh-fi flick Electric Dreams, which sparked my teen-aged imagination in many ways–one of those ways leading to the beautiful topography of a newly-discovered Virginia. Giggles.

High Heaven #1 (AHOY): I&N Demand AHOY Comics rocked the world a couple of weeks ago with TheWrong Earth; and here’s Tom Peyer, this time teaming up with Greg Scott, ready to hit loftier heights with High Heaven. Hell, yeah!

Cemetery Beach #1 (Image): I&N Demand Warren Ellis and another out-of-this-world premise–a sci-fi twist on Papillon, perhaps?–that’s good enough for me. Plus: any time I see a title that’s Fill-in-the-blank Beach, I’m taken back to Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach,” and I’m filled with a kind of curdled joy, which is burdensome, sure, but is satisfying, too. The “generations of lunatics,” a phrase borrowed from the Cemetery Beach preview on PreviewsWorld.com reminds–loosely yet lovingly–of the “ignorant armies clash[ing] by night” in Arnold’s lovely yet melancholy lyric poem–an invitation, a commentary, a warning–from 1867. So, yeah: looking forward to this one–even if “Warren Ellis” is, ultimately, the only legit reason for my forward looking.

Mage: The Hero Denied #12 (Image): I&N Demand Well, look at that: I referenced in my write-up for Batman #54 the glorious green bubbles that caught my eye thirty or so years ago–that drew me to Mage: The Hero Discovered and the adventures of Kevin Matchstick–without having seen the cover to this issue. Now that’s magic.

The New World #3 (Image): I&N Demand #2 was fun, fun, fun! Aleš Kot kicked the conflict into high gear; he pushed the peril to the metal: struck by something undefinable while in the midst of a televised takedown, Stella decides to take a risk, trading a seemingly cushy future for, well, a seemingly mushy fugitive. Isn’t that how all great love stories begin? Shifting: Now, I’m not an artist, still I find Tradd Moore’s art humbling. (Heather Moore’s colors are there to rub it in, ain’t they though? They force the eyes wider, and, along with the mister’s living, breathing lines, create an immersive experience that is absolutely exhilarating!) See: each page turn is bigger than the next; and there I am, bearing the weight of the lines and the colors, which support gloriously Kot’s big ideas, and I’m just like Wow. That’s some spinning-in-your-bed while spinning-some-Floyd-vinyl shit going on. “Legendary,” indeed. You know what I need? I need to see this as a cartoon. A big-screen motherfucking cartoon movie. Please make this into a cartoon movie. Thank you. Next up: a little surgery. Goin’ to the scalpel of love…

Oblivion Song #7 (Image)

The Wicked + The Divine #39 (Image)

the seeds #2 (Dark Horse/Berger Books): I&N Demand Loyal readers might remember: I celebrated #1 with a 22 I&N 22; and looking back at the post–proud of that one, for sure!–and at the issue, I’m reminded of the perfection–as seen in the hive, in the perfect-every-time hexagon of the humble honeybee–of the initial offering. Ann Nocenti’s writing is stinger sharp, piercing the part of us that reads and feels and thinks and looks to connect with another afflicted soul–one driven deeper into the comforting yet conflicting chasm of conspiracy, colored, unfailingly by David Aja, a loud khaki green. Fuck. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.

She Could Fly #3 (Dark Horse/Berger Books): I&N Demand She Could Fly #2 moves– it flies at a pace that reflects well Luna’s undeterred descent into madness, her succumbing to the stressors that surround her, including family, mystery, and–ceiling the deal–gravity. But she’s not the only one falling: oh no: see, everyone around her–and a significant one who was above her–has fallen or is falling in some way, be it morally, mentally, physically, interpersonally. Yup: lots of falling. Any surprise that the issue wraps up in a basement? Christopher Cantwell’s driving home the point–and is driving it down, down, which will make the rise–there’ll be a rise eventually, right?–that much more satisfying, I’m sure. Add to the mix the discomfort drawn into the narrative by Martin Morazzo’s hectic panel work, and the result is a trap that, even in the freedom of chaos, feels increasingly claustrophobic. Bill and Luna might “need to talk,” but, damn it, I need to read. Gimme #3!

Catwoman #3 (DC)

Detective Comics #988 (DC)

Superman #3 (DC)

The Amazing Spider-Man #5 (Marvel)

Daredevil #608 (Marvel)

Fantastic Four #2 (Marvel)

Crossed +100: Mimic #5 (Avatar)

Hot Lunch Special #2 (AfterShock): I&N Demand Well, wasn’t Hot Lunch Special #1 just the biggest surprise? Hell yeah, it was! I ate that shit up and loved every crumb. I was moved to write an inspired 22 I&N 22, and I hopepray expect that Eliot Rahal and Jorge Fornés will move me in much the same manner with this second helping of sandwiches and sumbitches, trucks and ho-lee fucks!

Moth & Whisper #1 (AfterShock)

Volition #2 (AfterShock)

What are you looking forward to this week?

If you were looking forward to Kendall and Grocery Store Joe getting back together–and, why not, while you’re at it, to Astrid and Kevin getting back together–well, then, fellow citizen of Bachelor Nation, you got your wish.

I&N Store–The Back to Work edition. You know what that means: the list may be long, but time is short. To it.

Dead Hand #6 (Image): I&N Demand In #5, Kyle Higgins, Stephen Mooney, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles ratchet up the tension by framing a highly-anticipated and well-crafted backstory with, despite the fanciful stakes, uncomfortably real family conflict. See: the stubbornly curious Harriet has been hooked up with the sitch regarding Roger, which seems reasonable–right?–especially as Renae and Carter sense the increasingly-urgent need for a contingency plan, which goes to shit–should’ve seen it coming–with a semi-automatic surprise ending. Reflection: Should. Expect. Surprises. Bookkeeping: there have been some shocking moments so far in Dead Hand. But those moments–they’re far from dead hands themselves; if anything, they’re living feet kicking me to the comic store to get my eager hands on the next issue.

Leviathan #2 (Image)

Paper Girls #24 (Image)

Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #38 (Image): I&N Demand What. A. Trip! In #37, David Lapham revs-up a racing narrative that reflects Beth and Orson’s sex-drugs-and rock-n-roll road trip stumble like a shattered rear-view mirror. “This is fucking gold,” indeed. But as we all know from Frost–and as evidenced by the final splash crash page–“Nothing gold can stay.” Oh, I’m on pins and cactus needles waiting to crack open this one!

Unnatural #4 (Image)

Batman #54 (DC): I&N Demand After the spectacularly-presented spiritual crisis of the finale of “Cold Days,” Tom King and guest artist Matt Wagner–of the magical Mage (God, those beautiful green bubbles drew a bubbly boy to his LCS–the original Amazing Comics–and to the rack in the back way back in the day to discover the hero, who’s still swinging, there’s no denying!)–give us something to believe in.

Since it’s summertime, I’m Superdad full time; so I’m lucky enough to have my two daughters with me when I go to my favorite LCS–the great Android’s Amazing Comics, of course. The girls just love to browse the shop, to check out the comics–they really know how to handle them–and the blind bags–they certainly know how to handle them–and the–as my little one calls them–soft things: you know: a rainbow of My Little Ponies and blood-red My Murderous Deadpools–all the things kids love! Oh, it’s such a joy, especially since they let me take my time–without any distractions at all!–at the big wall of new books.

I pray I find these:

Leviathan #1 (Image)

Paper Girls #23 (Image)

Seven to Eternity #10 (Image)

Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #37 (Image): I&N Demand I loved #36! It’s easily one of my favorite single issues of the year. David Lapham emptied his clip into that one: Spanish Scott and Monster–talk about toxic masculinity! (Oooh, this issue’s a black and white Superfund site!) “Monsters are comin’,” indeed! Gotta love those bad dudes–but not as much as Love Yourself–err—himself. I fell for that fucker right away, and it’s no surprise why: on the surface, he’s sunshine and roses; but on the inside, there’s some kinda complicated shit goin’ on. The love, the pain, the humor in the bespectacled face of death–I rooted my ass off for Love. And that final page, tho. That‘s a stray bullet right through the motherfucking heart. Color me kinda nervous going into this next one. Fucking monsters.

Batman #52 (DC): I&N Demand Batman vs. Bruce Wayne! OK, so Bruce was a little hot after being left at the ledge. Does that mean he–as Bat–had to put the heat on Freeze? Hell yeah it does! But Bruce gets it: he knows he went too far; and now, to remedy the situation, he’s got to fight eleven fellow Gothamites–those very citizens he’s fought for all along while wearing the cape and cowl! I can’t wait to see how this plays out. Tom King–FYI: CIA BEF DC–takes his take on torture/enhanced interrogation techniques to the chilly jury room, and Lee Weeks kills it with his gritty realism. All together, #51 is powerful issue that sets up one heck of a Battle–let the deliberations begin!

Mister Miracle #10 (DC): I&N Demand I’ve never cared for the New Gods. But now–now I care about the New Gods–because through nine issues, the New King has taken us through one emotional Boom Tube after another. He–with the Eisner-winning help of Mitch Gerads–has got the gods grounded in the real and still they’re goddin’ it well enough to make it all so much more. One thing Scott Free will never escape: Tom King–they’re chained together forevermore.

Captain America #2 (Marvel)

The Immortal Hulk #4 (Marvel): I&N Demand I really liked #1. #2 was aight. It had me kinda like Do I need this? (Already droppin’ lots of green every Wednesday, so…) I picked up #3 anyway and was totally Whoa! Al Ewing won me over with the multiple-perspectives-as-offered-by-multiple-artists approach. (Excited to see Garry Brown bangin’ out Big Green.) Loved it! It was incredible immortal! Happy to see, too, a little Alpha Flight action there at the end. As I told someone recently–if commenting on Instagram counts as telling: Alpha Flight is the bacon of comics: they make any book better! Two gamma-irradiated biceps way waaaaay up! Hoping this one flexes its muscles, too.

Survival Fetish #3 (Black Mask): I&N Demand Through two, the all-ways moving Survival Fetish really gratifies: the premise is super sexy; Patrick Kindlon’s writing is sharp–the narration and the dialogue double-teaming to deliver an engaging read; but the star of the show is Antonio Fuso, whose black and white art scrupulously sells Saheer’s experience–his ever-evolving “movement”–and, ultimately, runs this fucking town. In fact, I’m gonna sprint to the comic shop as soon as it opens to get my hands on this one–’cause there’ll probably only be one or two on the shelf and it’d suck to miss it–especially after the wait (it’s been a while) and after having re-read #2 to get my feet under me. Damn that was good!

Mister Miracle #1 (DC): Tom King and Mitch Gerads crafted the best comic book of last year with The Sheriff of Babylon, a shattering, close-up deconstruction of the everyday tragedies created by the fog of war. King also created last year’s best superhero comic in The Vision.In that book, he used the creative latitude afforded in penning a B-lister to orchestrate a tale about a family of androids, living in suburbia, that incorporated bits of Mary Shelley, Philip K. Dick and Leave It To Beaver. The resultant tale explored, amongst other trivialities, death, prejudice, and what it means to be human. Throughout, King established a pitch-perfect tone that was absurd, poetic and tragic, frequently all at once. One hopes that in working with another character not-well known outside of comic circles, King and Gerads will produce something similarly profound.

Mister Miracle #1

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #23 (Marvel): If you already aren’t reading this comic book about a computer-science grad student with the powers of a squirrel (who is soon to be featured in a gosh-darn TV show), you’re missing out on the best superhero book that isn’t Black Hammer or Silver Surfer. Ryan North continues to delight with buoyant, laugh-out-loud writing that manages to feel upbeat and empowering without a trace of didactic, self-congratulatory posturing (hear that Saga?). If you still need an excuse to jump on this book, the current story allows the inimitable Mr. North to return to his first love: Dinosaurs! The child-like exuberance North obviously feels for the subject is matched by Erica Henderson’s energetic, Ditko-inflected art. The joy in this book is infectious.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #23

Clue #3 (IDW): Yes, I can feel your eye-roll: a book that’s an obvious corporate tie-in to a friggin’ board game? Has Battleship taught me nothing?! But my childhood affection for said game, as well as the cult-favorite movie it inspired (itself a corporate tie-in) impelled me to give it a shot (Or a candlestick. Whatever.). Happily, like the movie, Paul Allor’s story benefits from a wacky cast, clever pacing and an off kilter sense of humor. Nelson Daniel’s art contributes some fittingly comedic touches, especially in terms of staging and page layout. And Clue features that hallowed comic book trope, the mordant, omniscient narrator/host (think the Crypt-Keeper except with impeccable manners and in a butler’s suit). Except it seems he’s not so omniscient after all. Hmm….

Ugh. I’m running out of vacation–and discretionary income. Rebirth is partly to blame for both, thanks to bigger weekly bags and bills. Also to blame: my love for the heroes of my childhood and my having the constitution of a totalitarian state.

DC and me!

Oh, there’s other stuff, too.

Black Hammer #2 (Dark Horse): I&N Demand Re: #1: Jeff Lemire nailed it: he delivered Essex County with superheroes. Finally. A nice way to follow up Plutonia, which lived in that realm, for sure, but leaned more on the kids than on the capes. Lemire lets loose here, trusting his instincts, as he fans the flames of familiarity, forging, with Dean Ormston and Dave Stewart’s beautiful balance between fantastic and rustic, something unflinchingly fresh. I’ve been down on Lemire’s “doing what he does” to decidedly disappointing degrees (Descender/Sweet Tooth, Trillium/Hawkeye, Bloodshot: Reborn/Moon Knight); here, however, the antecedent doesn’t drown out the current–it enlivens it.

Briggs Land #1 (Dark Horse): Just I&N Brian Wood’s as good as it gets. His Black Road–also out this week—is a solid book: it has a Massive feel to it, and satisfies for that; but I’m hungry for more, you know, with the final course of the perfectly plated Starve having been served up far, far too soon. Expectations are very high for this one. Hey: This is a Briggs deal, I&Nmates!

Batgirl and The Birds of Prey #1 (DC)

Batman #5 (DC): I&N Demand Re: #4: Fear has a new number: 27. Through four issues, Tom King’s got Batman doing things by the numbers–in more ways than one; oh, add ’em up yourself–but this one’s let him down. Aww, snap! The personification of Gotham makes for many wrinkles that King’ll most assuredly irony out by arc’s end. It might take a miracle, man, to put this kid down. Does Batman have it in him? I can’t wait to see how this rounds out!

Nightwing #3 (DC)

Suicide Squad #3 (DC)

Superman #5 (DC)

Black Road #5 (Image)

The Wicked & The Divine #22 (Image): I&N Demand A monthly bright spot–not only because of Matthew Wilson’s way cray-cray colors. OK, mostly because of Wilson’s way cray-cray colors. Sure, Gillen’s greatness shines here, too; and McKelvie’s impeccable consistency is absolutely ambrosial. Thing is, when I think WicDiv, I get most excited about the prospect of Wilson’s wielding his nonpareil palette in yet another innovative way. (He’s also killing it over on Black Widow and hammering home The Mighty Thor, which are out this week, as well. But if you’re a Wilson enthusiast, you already know that!)

Black Widow #6 (Marvel)

The Mighty Thor #10 (Marvel)

Mockingbird #6 (Marvel): I&N Demand Re: #5: “There’s a gift store?” Damn right, there is–and it’s well stocked with Mockingbird! Thank you, Chelsea Cain for your quirky chaos, which is clearly a clever way to, at the same time, mask and amplify your obsessive control over the story you’re telling. High praise: reminds of James Ausmus’s recent run on Quantum & Woody. Concern: these big-event tie-ins more often than not murder momentum. I’m gonna go into this one singing, “We will, we will Mock you!” So good or bad, I’m covered!

Scarlet Witch #9 (Marvel): I&N Demand I’m happy to report that James Robinson’s tucked his junk away for his intriguing turn on Scarlet Witch. This book’s been monthly magic! OK, so we celebrated Robinson’s The Shade (DC)–feels like forever ago–and celehated just about everything else since then save for his full-of-hot Airboy, which was a balls-out blast to the past that sold me on Robinson’s page-bound prickish self, particularly as he hit some notes that recalled David Duchovny’s cock(un)sure Hank Moody in the hilariously depressing Californication. What a Wanda-full world he’s created here–with the help a different artist for each effort in order to create an interconnected series of singular experiences, which reminds of Ales Kot’s groundbreaking-and-then-standing-over-the-broken-pieces-and-gloating Zero (Image). Issue #8 found artist Tula Lotay delivering an appropriately hypnotic performance–one that helped to sell the all-important intimacy and to deliver the Ringmasterful twist. This month: Joëlle Jones assumes art duties. Something tells me the lady’s gonna kill it.

The Vision #10 (Marvel): I&N Demand Later, this very reader, on this very blog, would write a review of The Vision and its creators that no one has written before–and it’d go viral, leaving dancing grooms and blustery moguls dancing and blustering in the datadust. A blurb would be bounced about the Twitterverse enough to convince some eager editor to snatch it and put it in print somewhere Marvelous. Then and only then would the world come to realize how integral Tom King’s vision and his voice have been to the evolution of the medium during this Vibranium Age for comics. For now: on the strength of #9, and King and Walta’s playing us like a Wakandian piano, before diving into #10, don’t forget your flak jacket, your helmet, and, for obvious reasons, your safety glasses. This could get ugly very quickly.

Black Eyed Kids #5 (Aftershock)

Cirque American: Girl Over Paris #2 (Jet City Comics)

Johnny Red #8 (Titan)

Providence #10 (Avatar): I&N Demand Word wizard Alan Moore’s painstakingly finger-banging my brain. I offer it up to him again. There’s nothing like it on the shelf. There can’t be anything like it on the shelf.

Summer is in full swing! As you lather up the sunscreen, fill the cooler with your beverage of choice (Ommegang Abbey Ale for me, thanks) and break out your thongs (sandals or otherwise, hey, we don’t judge) we present a list of recent comics that are well worth tracking down for your seaside, margarita-sipping, swimsuit-watching summer reading. Enjoy!

Top 5 Books of March

5. Giant Days #1 (BOOM!): OK, so, about 25 years or so ago, I made my way to The Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus; got settled in on the 4th floor of Pinchot Hall, a 10-storey sausage factory; cycled through a few roommates–smokers, snorers, and psychopaths–during my two years on campus; fell in with a group of dorks who’d be my best buds for four blurry years; and all together, as fun as I think it was–as I remember it was–it was nothing like John Allison and Lissa Treiman’s irrepressibly jocular Giant Days #1. Maybe that’s why I loved it so much. Co-ed Musketeers–Daisy, Esther, and Susan–are the hyperbolically dramatic center of this university; and hilarity revolves around them in effortless ellipses, much to our benefit. So good that I can confidently quote McGraw, the mustachioed hate interest, as I consider what the future holds for Giant Days and, fearing a sophomore slump, threaten the creators of this tasty treat: “Nothing you can do can spoil gravy for me.” (SC)

Giant Days #1

4. Autumnlands #5 (Image): Fantasy books are all about world-building. No comic in recent memory has presented a realm so fully realized as Autumnlands. Credit goes equally to writer Kurt Busiek (no stranger to this kind of thing – see Astro City) and artist Benjamin Dewey, whose lush style seems to belong to another era (it doesn’t hurt, of course, that it’s being colored by the omnipresent Jordie Bellaire, who I’m convinced at this point must be some sort of collective of robot artists). Floating cities, magical lore, calcified social strata, layer upon layer intertwine into a cohesive whole. Impressively, one doesn’t hear the awkard, behind-the-scenes clanging of this universe’s construction; rather, it’s as if it has always been there. It is merely our happy fortune to discover it, and get lost in it. Higher praise for a fantasy tale I can scarcely think of. (DM)

The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw #5

3. Ant-Man #3 (Marvel): I can’t even with this book. It is just too funny. I literally (and I mean that in the literal sense) have to keep putting it down because I’m laughing so hard. Literally! Nick Spencer is a comic (and I mean that in the comic sense) genius. Here’s your blurb: “The hero may be small, but the laughs are BIG!” (DM)

Ant-Man #3

2. Silver Surfer #10 (Marvel): Dan Slott and Mike Allred are producing the definitive run of this classic character. They spent most of the first year bringing the fun, with story after story teeming with imagination and wit. But with the Silver Surfer, the piper must always be payed. They tackle the central pathos of the character head on: how can a being who played a role in the deaths of untold millions ever be redeemed? The story they come up with is so simple, so perfectly elegant, that I almost can’t believe no one’s thought of it before. Everyone knows that superhero stories from the Big Two are ‘never-ending’. That’s a shame, because this issue would serve as the perfect coda not just for this series, but for the journey that Norrin Radd has been on since Fantastic Four #48, all those decades ago. Beautiful. (DM)

Silver Surfer #10

1. Zero #15 (Image): The Jeff Lemire variant queries innocently enough, “What is Zero?” Answers inspired by fourteen issues of Ales Kot’s crazy, crazy calculus: Soldier. Spy. Hero. Killer. Storyteller. Everything. Nothing. Open up the book, open mind, as always, as necessary with this schizophrenic series, ask again: Who is Zero? Answer inspired by page one, panel one: I have no effing idea! <–I borrowed an exclamation point; don’t think it’ll be missed. Kot unexpectedly offers up a figure who’s furiously fingering a typewriter and, in doing so, adds a literary layer, making the book more than Zero. He’s gone meta, forging unforeseen relationships, crafting, out of the story thus far, a psych-session confession and a catharsis-in-progress. This stunning thing with its wild spirit sees Kot exploiting his poetic proclivities: his words build images that build upon artist Ian Bertram’s images and affecting layouts: it’s a conscious stream of Ginsberg and guns, fathers and sons, drugs and drugs–all of it burrowing into the brain like a drunk bullet. Stories don’t get more tragic than William S. Burroughs’, and Kot’s made magic by borrowing it–as if you couldn’t tell.

Zero #15

The Biggest Dis(appointment): Descender #1 (Image)

Descender is the perfect title for this highly anticipated offering from the frustratingly inconsistent Jeff Lemire: the book, which starts off well enough, descends quickly–and dizzyingly so–to robotic schmaltz, lowlighted by the insultingly saccharine introduction of Tim-21, which bored a hole nerve-deep in my otherwise pretty resilient sweet tooth. Anyone know a good dentist? (SC)

Descender #1

Top 5 Books of April

5. the unbeatable Squirrel Girl #4 (Marvel): There’s a long-overdue resurgence taking place in monthly comics that are putting the ‘funny’ back in ‘funny books’. We’ve been trumpeting the aforementioned Ant-Man for a while now; add to that the likes of God Hates Astronauts, Kaptara, and East of West (ok, maybe not that last one). Enter: Squirrel Girl. Ryan North (fresh of his excellent, award-winning run on Adventure Time) and artist Erica Henderson have already established a quirky charmer through three issues. Well the fourth installment is, simply put, the funniest single comic I’ve read all year. Most books are lucky to get a chuckle; this one had me laughing out loud five times before I was even that many number of pages in (I’m laughing now, just remembering them). Or maybe I should just put it this way: Squirrel Girl Vs. Galactus. Nuts Said. (DM)

the unbeatable Squirrel Girl #4

4. Mayday #1 (Black Mask): Curt Pires pops for real with this frenetic filet o’ film–one that drops some noms de cinéma (Kaufman, Lynch, and Bay) and goes to effing guerre with them. Oh, yeah, man: it’s a wild ride that reads like a regiment of lines on a mirror meant to be snorted with the eyes and sorted out with a muddied mind. Re: minds: Pires, paired with the more than competent Chris Peterson, sells a story that, in terms of comics, is “sort of like” Matt Fraction channeled through Ales Kot with Tyler Jenkins and Michael Walsh trying to one-up one another from one panel to the next. Mayday #1 will leave you questioning your life choices–especially if most of them have sucked. But you will not question your choice to pick it up–even if it is “just one big blur”; nor will you question whether or not you should pick up #2. I mean, Kleio and Terrence have “just murdered two dudes.” You totally don’t want them to come after you. (SC)

Mayday #1

3. War Stories #8 (Avatar): Sounds like a given: Part 2 of “The Last German Winter” hits the mark with this icy mid-arc march through moral relativism; but let’s be honest: there’s nothing easy–nothing safe–about it. I mean, who can take a Nazi, humanize his ass, then make you wonder all along when hell will come to pass? Only Garth Ennis can. Only Garth Ennis can. (No, you’re not imagining things: go back and hum the tune as you read–heck, sing it out loud, you Sammy wannabe!) He crafts a German hero–Gerhard the Gallant–who, considering the situation, is easy to root for; but we know better, don’t we? Don’t we? Just in case, Ennis reminds us, elbows us to make sure we’re paying attention; oh, but then he nudges us–so vulnerable to his charms–right back to where he wants us–seeing the man, not seeing the monster–thanks mostly to his narrative voice, the vulnerable Rachel Kohler, and to the portrayal of the even more monstrous Russians, their evil punctuated by an horrific splash from Tomas Aira. The execution is near Nabokovian! (No, you’re not imagining things: go back and Hum.) Now that, dear reader, is a war story! (SC)

War Stories #8

2. Chilling Adventures ofSabrina #2 (Archie Horror): Was a long time coming–so long that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa offered up an apology to kick off the letter page!–but this second issue of Sabrina, which introduces with verve the vengeful and irredeemably evil Madam Satan, was well worth the wait. The aforementioned writer–who not only sets a scene, he sets it on fire with his precise imagery–and artist Robert Hack, whose retro style is equal parts pillowy soft and boldly bloody, own the tone of this witches’ brew, which is bubbling over with literary allusions. It’s campy; it’s creepy; it’s killer, kids! (SC)

Sabrina #2

1. Silver Surfer #11 (Marvel): Dan Slott and Mike Allred follow up the powerhouse of issue 10 with a comic that is as formalistically daring as it is emotionally satisfying. Surfer and Co. are trapped in a time loop and the question becomes not only whether they’ll escape, but whether they’ll even realize it at all. A graphic illustration of Free Will versus Determinism, a metaphor for the repetitive cycle of our everyday experience, a tale of love, forgiveness and redemption; this issue delivers all three in a thrilling marriage of form and content. I maintain that issue 10 would have provided an excellent ending to this wonderful series. But I’m glad it didn’t. (DM)

Silver Surfer #11

Top 5 Books of May

5. Zero #16(Image): Collective unconscious, the inevitability of change, the destiny of DNA, the life sentence that is guilt–Zero‘s certainly much more than its title insists. It’s a proving ground, of sorts; it’s Ales Kot’s firing range of ideas: it’s rhyme-free reason; it’s a game of William Tell: Kot himself is the tortured William S. Burroughs, and we’re the trusting Joan Burroughs, with an apple of expectations balanced precariously on our head. Too. Tempting. BANG! Somehow this experimental spy story became an experiment in layers deep meta-fiction; and, despite the jarring shift, the result is nothing short of spore-born brilliance. Wherever this crazy thing ends up, rest assured, Ales Kot will not fail us–but he’ll sure as hell phallus, as evidenced by Tom Muller and Stathis Tsemberlidis’s cocky cover, which, in turn, is further proof of an air of youthful arrogance in Kot’s work, especially here in Zero. I’m more than happy to breathe it in for as long as it lasts. (SC)

Zero #16

4. Afterlife with Archie #8 (Archie Horror): Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla continue to add to their modern horror mash-up by seamlessly incorporating elements that you didn’t even know you wanted; everything from The Shining to The Crucible, even A Christmas Carol. The result is rich tapestry that continues to add texture to the story, a mix that acknowledges the high-points in the history of horror through the unlikeliest of lenses. (DM)

Afterlife With Archie #8

3. Mind MGMT #33 (Image): The ultimate showdown’s coming, but there’s no sign of a slowdown–even as Matt Kindt slows things down to foster a touching family reunion, one that frames Team Meru’s Soldiers of Fortune Cookies and their receiving and executing–with stunning efficiency–their munching–er, marching orders. The decidedly deliberate issue ends with a Dalicious splash that promises a wild time. With the end of the series so near, I’m excited, I’m anxious; but, no, Pipe Kid, I’m not ready–and I’m as not ready as I’m ever going to be. (SC)

Mind MGMT #33

2. Providence #1 (Avatar): Avatar’s publicity department has been describing this new series by Alan Moore as “The Watchmen of horror”. But the story from Moore’s oeuvre that it more readily calls to mind is From Hell (an even more impressive achievement to this reviewer’s mind). FH brilliantly examined the underlying brutality of patriarchal hegemony through the lens of Victorian England, using the Whitechapel murders as a vehicle. Providence promises to delve into the repressed corners of American society of the past century using the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft (a passion of Moore’s for some time now) as a framework. Moore explores the Jungian implications of Lovecraft’s mythos (underlying realities masked by our limited human perception) by using them as a metaphor for aspects of the American experience that needed to remain hidden, given the times (in this case, “the love that dare not speak its name”). Yes, there is much to unpack here. Yet for all that, this first issue is a master’s class in restrained, subtle storytelling. The deliberate pacing, the seemingly minor details that gain importance as the issue progresses, the symmetry of the opening and closing segments; Moore’s assured control of the material, when he’s on, has never been matched by another comic book writer. To say nothing of the insane amount of research that is woven throughout. Which brings us to the art. Here another comparison to FH is apt: Eddie Campbell’s nonpareil art in that tome had a scratchy looseness, a sketchy immediacy that pulled the modern reader with its irrepressible energy, despite the period setting. Here, Jacen Burrows takes the opposite approach: meticulously rendered, exhaustive research evident in every carefully placed line. The effect is polished, subdued and certainly visually impressive, but with a formal stiffness akin to watching an episode of Downton Abbey. And yet this is reflective of Moore’s otherworldly precision. Ultimately, the hyperbole of comparing this new series to the well-known Watchmen is needless. This first issue promises an epic Alan Moore tale to match or exceed, in scope, ambition and execution, anything he’s previously produced. That alone should suffice. (DM)

Providence #1

1. Material #1 (Image): With Material, Ales Kot’s has found his forum, the perfect space for him to keep pace with the injustices of the world. No matter how desperate or disparate, they have a home here; and God knows he’ll never want for material as long as he never casts off the lenses–the perspective-altering critical approaches to analyzing, well, everything so relied upon by campus comrades, the arrogant academicians and their lecture-hall spawn–that help him to see the Ugly Spirit* in, well, everything. Despite the pessimism that pervades the four narratives, which may or may not Crash into each other at some point, what Kot’s come up with–in tandem with the ironically-named Will Tempest–is beautiful. He asserts that there’s hope in moments, in connections, and what better way to convey that point than with a comic book! Holding its pages open is like holding hands with Kot himself as he leads the march toward enlightenment–toward Utopia. And even if that march is born of naÏveté, it’s fueled by honesty, by brashness; and in the context of this comic, it’s something I want to follow.

*See Zero to see Burroughs to see that Kot’s got the Spirit–yes he does! (SC)

Material #1

Biggest Dis(appointment)(April/May): Convergence/Secret Wars (DC/Marvel) – A bunch of heroes and villains from various alternate universes battle it out on a patchwork planet in a Secret Crisis of Ultimate Infinite blahblahblah. Yes, I’ve just described the plot of both summer blockbuster crossovers from the Big Two. In the cynical cycle of endless Events, this has to be a new low. I don’t know who’s guiltier: the company that seemingly pilfered the other’s concept, or the company that came up with such an awful idea to begin with. (DM)

These are the books I will use to recover from the stress–and ultimate release of the same–of the week–stress months in the making–which will peak, appropriately enough, on Thank-God-It’s-Wednesday.

Neverboy #3 (Dark Horse)

No Mercy #2 (Image): I&N Demand With #1, Alex De Campi and Carla Speed McNeil have proven there’s no such thing as “too much Magic Bus.” What a surprise! I’ll not be caught off guard again.

No Mercy #2

The Wicked & The Divine #10 (Image)

Zero #16 (Image): I&N Demand #15 was pretty effing brilliant. It’s the kind of queer, out-of-nowhere story that burrows into your brain like an ill-advised bullet. So, so good. Oh yeah, it gave me a raging–well, it gave me a raging cover to #16.

Zero #16

Ant-Man #5 (Marvel): I&N Demand Ant-Man: it’s more than a cheap movie tie-in, that’s for sure. It’s a book with a big funny bone and an even bigger heart. Nick Spencer’s found the perfect outlet in a seemingly irrelevant title–one that’d be easily overlooked, if not for our magnifying its unanticipated brilliance. Puns and self-aggrandizement completely intended.

Ant-Man #5

Secret Wars #1 (Marvel)

Afterlife With Archie #8 (Archie Horror): I&N Demand A stunning Archievement! It’s a book fueled by the comfy couch of nostalgia–a book that drives you to the edge of your seat by burning the cushions, the fire started by exuberantly rubbing Riverdale-related expectations together. And zombies.

Afterlife With Archie #8

Arcadia #1 (BOOM!) Just I&N Sounds Matrix-y. I’m down.

Arcadia #1

Dead Drop #1 (Valiant)

Rachel Rising #33 (Abstract Studio)

Über #24 (Avatar)

We Can Never Go Home #2 (Black Mask) I&N Demand #1 was really, really great. I know, right? Who knew? That’s why we try ’em, folks. Reminds of the solid They’re Not Like Us (Image), which is, ironically, still looking for its voice; and brings to mind the villainously heroic Dry Spell, which we just so happened to celebrate as our #3 book of 2014. Super-high praise for an out-of-nowhere title, no? If you missed it, don’t fret: Black Mask delivered a second printing this week. It may be that you can never go home, but luckily you can always go to your local comic shop. Do yourself a favor: grab that and this.

We Can Never Go Home #2

Avery’s Picks of the Week

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #10 (DC): Of all the books I’ve bought Avery over the past couple of years, it’s the Scooby-Doo titles that reign as the most reread. Ruh-ray!